States' Bridge Emergencies Spread

Age and summer heat are taking a heavy toll on the nation’s bridges, with a wave of emergency closures and other measures reported nationwide in recent weeks.

Iowa, Ohio, New York and Missouri have all announced emergency bridge closures for cracks, corrosion and other structural issues, while Minnesota announced—in the same week—weight limits on one bridge and extended emergency closures on a second one.

Minnesota: ‘Another Wake-up Call’

In Minnesota—site of the catastrophic I-35 bridge collapse that killed 13 people in 2007—emergency weight restrictions were imposed Thursday (Aug. 18) on the Stillwater Lift Bridge over the St. Croix River, after state inspectors found significant corrosion on various components during a routine inspection.

MnDOT

Emergency repairs on Minnesota’s Stillwater Lift Bridge are “yet another wake-up call that we need a new bridge,” says Mayor Ken Harycki.

"Corrosion of the steel is such where enough has fallen away that we need to reassess the load-carrying capacity of the bridge," Minnesota Department of Transportation bridge engineer Nancy Daubenberger told reporters. "That is routinely done with these inspections.”

She added, "Although the bridge can safely handle day-to-day traffic, heavy loads will wear the bridge out more quickly. Restricting the loads before and during the repairs will help prevent damage to the bridge."

Load limits were temporarily reduced to 24 tons (from 28) for single trucks and to 28 tons (from 40) for semi-trucks and trailer trucks. Repairs should be completed in within 10 days, but previously scheduled major repairs will still be needed next year.

"It's yet another wake-up call that we need a new bridge,” said Stillwater Mayor Ken Harycki. “It's an 80-year-old bridge. July 1st, it celebrated its 80th birthday. You can keep pouring money into it, but it's going to keep deteriorating."

The four-span bridge, which opened in 1983, carried about 14,000 vehicles daily. In an emergency legislative session earlier this month, the state obtained the last $4 million it needed for the $6 million repair job, but the project will require a long stretch of warm weather, which will mean pushing the work into next spring, officials say.

The $4 million will come from a $33 million bridge bonding package authorized during the special session. That is in addition to $2.145 million in state maintenance aid earmarked for emergency repairs earlier this year.

Partial Collapse

The Plymouth Avenue Bridge closing came just days after the partial collapse of a bridge over Elk Creek near the town of Brewster, southwest of Minneapolis. That bridge was being prepared for bituminous overlay Oct. 19 when a section gave way under an 80,000-pound milling machine, reports said. No injuries were reported.

Iowa: ‘Absolutely Devastating’

In Iowa, meanwhile, state transportation officials abruptly closed the Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing last week, dealing a serious blow to local tourism and commuting.

The bridge, connecting De Soto and Lansing, was closed immediately—and indefinitely—after a crack was found in the floor beam during a routine inspection.

Wikimedia Commons

The Black Hawk Bridge in Lansing, IA, was closed abruptly last week to repair a crack, devastating both commuters and tourism.

He added: “I don’t know how many employees live in Wisconsin, but how are they going to get here?”

The bridge’s loss has some commuters facing a 70-mile round trip from Lansing. Peters said he is trying to organize a boat system to bring commuters from the Wisconsin side of the bridge to the Iowa side and a shuttle to get them to work, the newspaper reported.

But the mayor was not optimistic about the bridge’s reopening, saying, “I have a feeling it won’t be soon.”

Missouri: ‘Fell Apart’

An expansion joint that “fell apart” just before the Fourth of July holiday weekend forced the emergency closing of the 18th Street Bridge in downtown St. Louis.

The repairs also shut down a major downtown street, which also serves the Amtrak and Greyhound Stations, and forced the city’s light-rail Metro system to make route changes.

The repairs were expected to take three weeks, but the bridge had not reopened as of Friday (Aug. 19).

New York: 2 Emergency Closures

Commuters to Syracuse's University Hill and downtown areas in New York have been grappling with emergency bridge repairs that narrowed a stretch of Interstate 81 to one lane after a hole was found in the bridge.

Work on the critical artery was to be completed in late July, but continued into August. The state DOT says more extensive repairs were needed than originally thought, but posed no danger to drivers, WSYR-TV reported.

About the same time, MTA Metro-North Railroad and the City of Mount Vernon, NY, closed that city’s 117-year-old Sixth Avenue Bridge so the railroad could make emergency repairs to the steel floor beam.

The bridge, almost 62 feet long, was built in 1894 and has a load limit of three tons. It is a major north-south connection to the city’s hospital, downtown and city hall. The work was scheduled to be completed Aug. 24.

“The bridges in the city … are in dire need of attention,” said Mayor Clinton Young Jr. The closure “will be a hardship. However, these safety upgrades must be completed expeditiously.”

Other summer bridge emergencies included shutdowns or partial shutdowns to spans in Louisiana, Connecticut and Ohio.

Striking evidence of our crumbling infrastructure. An infrastructure bank would go a long way towards maintaining and replacing roads and bridges of our nation. If the right and tbaglians have their way we will wake up a third world country, with bad roads, no mass transportation, and working for peanuts.

Comment from Car F., (8/22/2011, 10:43 AM)

If the country could only stop invading other nations and supporting an over inflated war budget, perhaps those resources could be put into something positive, such as maintaining the nation's infrastructure or providing a decent health care for the 40 million people who cannot buy their health or the homeless children and families who are destituted and live in the streets or the elderly who doesn't have enouhg food.., how about that for a new idea?

Comment from William Feliciano, (8/22/2011, 1:37 PM)

We should call our crumbling infrastructure by a bank name, say, Infrastructure Bank. That would immediately result in a bailout and unlimited funds for it.

Comment from James Johnson, (8/23/2011, 11:18 AM)

I'm the first one to say we need to address the deterioration of our infrastructure, but getting out of wars is no where near adequate. Federal spending has to be drastically reduced, and that is just a start. The Alcan highway is 900 miles long and was built in 6 months! And, that roadway is not requiring the high maintenance cost of roads in the lower 48 states. Costs for both bridge construction and maintenance have gone up drastically and work needs be done to reduce that cost. Outsourcing is a major coast increase factor. Government regulations are another huge part of the cost that needs to be reduced. Projects get mired down in regulation to comply with EPA regulations and requirements. All these factors need be streamlined and reduced so our tax money can be put to better use. These same burdens are what is holding back jobs and the economy and until they are reduced jobs and funding will be held back.

Comment from shane hirvi, (8/23/2011, 1:07 PM)

James--What is your problem with the EPAs involvement in bridge painting projects? I have been on 1 or 2 bridges in my time and have never seen a single person from the EPA on any of the bridge painting projects causing all sorts of problems. What exact EPA regulations do you believe are so severely straining the bridge painting industry that huge change is needed? PS I have driven on the Alaskan/Canadian Highway many times and have never driven on it when there wasn't one or two hundred miles that weren't under some sort of construction.

Comment from Jose Joven, (8/24/2011, 6:53 AM)

The alcan Highway has been built and rebuilt many times over since the original construction. In many places it was only a temporary road.

Comment from James Johnson, (8/24/2011, 10:56 AM)

Shane - My problem with the EPA is their overly burdensome requirements and paperwork primarily. Beyond that, I have personal experience of them lying, cheating and withholding information the public has a right to know. I am not against protecting the environment, but it should be done in a reasonable manner. These problems are not usually encountered by the painting contractor but at the planning and implementation stage.

Comment from Tom Schwerdt, (8/25/2011, 8:32 AM)

As an aside, in Texas you can reduce that paperwork burden by identifying your paint waste as "Universal Waste." The ultimate disposal requirements are the same, but the overhead dealing with it is noticeably reduced, and there is additional flexibility (for example, you can accumulate the waste for up to a year.) Universal waste rules are allowed federally (EPA) - but only Texas has implemented them for paint waste. For details and official answers, you can talk to the TCEQ Waste Permits Division. Other states have adopted Universal Waste rules for other categories (batteries are a good example) - but as far as I know, nobody else has taken advantage of using it for paint.

Comment from Car F., (8/25/2011, 10:57 AM)

does the "Universal Waste" designation includes lead based paint and paint which formulation includes other heavy metals?, and waht are the "ultimate disposal requirements? it is hard to imagine that contaminated waste can be dispose in the same way as potatoe peels

Comment from Tom Schwerdt, (8/29/2011, 8:21 AM)

Car, I again suggest talking to the TCEQ for official answers. Whether you use the Universal Waste rule or not, you still have to dispose of the lead paint the same way. Using the rule allows you to reduce paperwork and hassle - it does not get you out of disposal requirements.